Hurry-Up Inventory Method
Hurts Where It Once Helped

It's the most important missing ingredient for an economic recovery: a steady flow of big purchase orders from businesses.

But take a look at how business really works these days inside a growing number of companies. Brush Engineered Materials Inc. of Cleveland, which makes specialty metal products for cars, computers and airplanes, says orders it receives are smaller, more frequent and rushed. Wiremold Co. of West Hartford, Conn., gets frantic calls from distributors that have cut inventories so low they need...